Numbers 1

1 On the first day of the second month of the second [later, succeeding] year after the Israelites had come out [escaped, departed] of the land [territory, region] of Egypt, the LORD [Yehovah, the self-existent God] spoke [communicated, uttered] to Moses in the Tent [tabernacle, sacred dwelling] of Meeting [assembly, gathering] in the Wilderness [desert, barren land] of Sinai. He said [declared, uttered words]: word study 2 “Take a census [count, sum] of the whole congregation [gathering, assembly] of Israel [the descendants of Jacob] by their clans [families, tribes] and families [households, lineages], listing every man [male, individual] by name [identity, character], one by one [individually, personally]. word study 3 You [namely, Moses] and Aaron are to number those who are twenty [or older, from their youth] years of age or older [above, upward] by their divisions [armies, hosts]—everyone [all, everything] who can serve [go forth to war] in Israel’s [the descendants of Jacob] army [large group, campaign]. word study 4 And one man from each tribe [a group of people], the head [chief, prince] of each family [house, household], must be there [exist, come into being] with you [near, in close relationship]. word study 5 These [specific, chosen] are the names [identities, reputations] of the men [individuals, leaders] who are to assist [stand with, help] you: From the tribe [family, clan] of Reuben [the firstborn son of Jacob], Elizur [a leader of Reuben] son [descendant, heir] of Shedeur [father of Elizur, meaning darter of light]; word study 6 from Simeon [the second son of Jacob, a tribe of Israel], Shelumiel [a prince of Simeon, meaning peace of God] son [a descendant, offspring] of Zurishaddai [my rock is almighty, a leader of the Israelites]; word study 7 from Judah [the tribe descended from Jacob’s son], Nahshon [a leader of Israel] son [a descendant or offspring] of Amminadab [meaning my kinsman is noble]; word study 8 from [the tribe of] Issachar [there is recompense], Nethanel [given of God] son [descendant] of Zuar; word study 9 from [the tribe of] Zebulun [of Zabulon], Eliab [a leader] son [a descendant, offspring] of Helon [meaning strength, a father]; word study 10 from the sons [children, descendants] of Joseph [Jehovah has added]: from Ephraim [doubly fruitful], Elishama [my God has heard] son of Ammihud [my kinsman is majesty], and from Manasseh [causing to forget], Gamaliel [reward of God] son of Pedahzur [the Rock has ransomed]; word study 11 from [the tribe of] Benjamin [son of the right hand], Abidan [my father is judge] son [a descendant or ruler] of Gideoni [a leader in Israel]; word study 12 from Dan [a tribe of Israel, the son of Jacob], Ahiezer [my brother is help, a Danite chief] son [a descendant, offspring] of Ammishaddai [my kinsman is Almighty, a leader of the Danites]; word study 13 from Asher [a tribe of Israel, the eighth son of Jacob], Pagiel [a leader of Asher] son [a descendant, offspring] of Ocran [the father of Pagiel, an Israelite living during the wilderness]; word study 14 from Gad [the seventh son of Jacob, a tribe of Israel], Eliasaph [a Gadite chief, leader] son [descendant, offspring] of Deuel [also called Reuel, one who knows God]; word study 15 and from [the tribe of] Naphtali [a son of Jacob], Ahira [a leader, my brother is evil] son [a descendant, offspring] of Enan [having eyes, a prince of Naphtali].” word study 16 These [renowned, chosen] men were appointed [called, chosen] from the congregation [gathering of people, community]; they were the leaders [princes, high-ranking officials] of the tribes [family groups] of their fathers [ancestors, forefathers], the heads [chiefs, princes] of the clans [families, thousands] of Israel [God’s people, descendants of Jacob]. word study 17 So Moses [the Israelite leader] and Aaron [the first high priest] took [received, summoned] these men [individuals, leaders] who had been designated [expressed, mentioned] by name [identity, character], word study 18 and on the first day [at the beginning of the new moon] of the second month [the month of Ziv] they assembled [gathered together, called to meet] the whole congregation [all the people, every individual] and recorded [declared, made known] their ancestry [pedigrees, family history] by clans [tribes, families] and families [households, relatives], counting one by one [by their polls, individually] the names [identities, persons] of those twenty years [two decades, a generation] of age or older [and upward, from that age], word study 19 just as [according to the command] the LORD [Yehovah, The covenant Name of God] had commanded [given orders, appointed] Moses [the Israelite leader]. So Moses numbered [reckoned, visited] them in the Wilderness [desert, open field] of Sinai [the mountain where the Law was given]: word study 20 From the sons [descendants, children] of Reuben, the firstborn [oldest, premier] of Israel, according to the records [genealogical lists, family histories] of their clans [tribes, families] and families [households, kin], counting one by one [by their polls, individually] the names [identities, reputations] of every male [man, male person] twenty years [two decades] of age or older [and upward, from that age on] who could serve [go forth, be able] in the army [war, military], word study 21 those registered [numbered, counted, or reckoned] to the tribe [family] of Reuben [the firstborn son of Jacob and Leah] numbered [were counted as] 46,500 [forty-six thousand five hundred, six and forty thousand and five hundred]. word study 22 From the sons [descendants, male offspring] of Simeon, according to the records [genealogical lists, family histories] of their clans [tribal groups, families] and families [households, kinships], counting one by one [by their polls, by headcount] the names [identities, reputations] of every male [man, adult male] twenty years of age or older [from twenty years old and upward] who could serve [go forth, be able] in the army [war, military campaign], word study 23 those registered [numbered, reckoned] to the tribe [family] of Simeon [Shimeon, the second son of Jacob] numbered [were counted, totaled] 59,300 [fifty-nine thousand, and three hundred, a large company]. word study 24 From the sons [descendants, male offspring] of Gad, according to the records [genealogical lists, family histories] of their clans [tribal groups, families] and families [households, lineages], counting the names [identities, reputations] of all those twenty [a numerical value, a specific age] years of age or older [above, more than] who could serve [go out to war, be able to fight] in the army [a large group of people, a military force], word study 25 those registered [numbered, reckoned] to the tribe [family, clan] of Gad [the seventh son of Jacob] numbered [were counted, totaled] 45,650 [forty-five thousand six hundred fifty, a large multitude]. word study 26 From the sons [descendants, male offspring] of Judah, according to the records [genealogical lists, family histories] of their clans [tribal groups, families] and families [households, relatives], counting the names [identities, reputations] of all those twenty [a multitude, numerous] years of age or older [above, more than] who could serve [go forth, go out to battle] in the army [war, military campaign], word study 27 those registered [reckoned, numbered, or counted] to the tribe [family group] of Judah [the name of the tribe descended from Judah, the son of Jacob] numbered [totaled, or were counted as] 74,600. word study 28 From the sons [descendants, male offspring] of Issachar [there is recompense], according to the records [genealogical lists, family histories] of their clans [families, tribes] and families [households, kin], counting [numbering, enumerating] the names [identities, reputations] of all those twenty [a score, two decades] years of age or older [and upward, from that point on] who could serve [go forth, march out] in the army [war, military campaign, host], word study 29 those registered [reckoned, numbered] to the tribe [family group] of Issachar [there is recompense] numbered [were counted as] 54,400. word study 30 From the sons [descendants, children] of Zebulun, according to the records [genealogical lists, family histories] of their clans [tribes, families] and families [households, kin], counting the names [identities, reputations] of all those twenty [a score, two decades] years of age or older [and upward, from that age] who could serve [go forth, go out to battle] in the army [war, military forces], word study 31 those registered [numbered, reckoned] to the tribe [family group] of Zebulun [a son of Jacob, founder of a tribe] numbered [were counted, totaled] 57,400. word study 32 From the sons [descendants, children] of Joseph: From the sons [children, offspring] of Ephraim, according to the records [genealogical lists, family histories] of their clans [tribes, families] and families [households, kin], counting the names [identities, persons] of all those twenty years [a score, two decades] of age or older [and upward, from that age on] who could serve [go forth, go out] in the army [war, military campaign], word study 33 those registered [counted, numbered, to reckon] to the tribe [family] of Ephraim [doubly fruitful, referring to Joseph’s son] numbered [totaled, were counted] 40,500 [forty thousand and five hundred, a large company]. word study 34 And from the sons [descendants, male offspring] of Manasseh, according to the records [genealogical lists, family histories] of their clans [tribes, families] and families [households, relatives], counting the names [identities, reputations] of all those twenty [a specific number, a threshold] years of age or older [above, more than] who could serve [go out to war, be able to fight] in the army [a large group, a military force], word study 35 those registered [reckoned, numbered, or enrolled] to the tribe [a large family group] of Manasseh [a grandson of Jacob, ancestor of a large tribe] numbered [counted, or totaled] 32,200 [thirty-two thousand two hundred, or two and thirty thousand and two hundred]. word study 36 From the sons [descendants, male offspring] of Benjamin [son of the right hand], according to the records [genealogical lists, family histories] of their clans [tribes, families] and families [households, tribes], counting the names [identities, reputations] of all those twenty [a specific number, a multitude] years of age or older [above, more than] who could serve [go forth, go out to war] in the army [a large group, a campaign, a host], word study 37 those registered [to be reckoned, numbered] to the tribe [a family group] of Benjamin [son of the right hand, referring to the youngest son of Jacob] numbered [were counted as] 35,400. word study 38 From the sons [descendants, male offspring] of Dan, according to the records [genealogical lists, family histories] of their clans [tribal groups, families] and families [households, tribes], counting the names [identities, reputations] of all those twenty [a specific age, a stage of life] years of age or older [above, more than] who could serve [go out to war, engage in battle] in the army [a large group, a military force], word study 39 those registered [numbered, reckoned] to the tribe [family, clan] of Dan [a son of Jacob, founder of the tribe] numbered [counted, totaled] 62,700 [sixty and two thousand and seven hundred, a large multitude]. word study 40 From the sons [descendants, male offspring] of Asher [the eighth son of Jacob], according to the records [genealogical lists, family histories] of their clans [tribal groups, families] and families [households, relatives], counting [numbering, reckoning] the names [identities, personalities] of all those twenty [a score, two decades] years of age or older [from twenty years old and upward, mature adults] who could serve [go forth, go out to battle] in the army [war, military campaign, host], word study 41 those registered [reckoned, numbered, or enrolled] to the tribe [family] of Asher [the eighth son of Jacob] numbered [counted or totaled] 41,500 [one and forty thousand and five hundred, a large company]. word study 42 From the sons [descendants, family members] of Naphtali, according to the records [genealogical lists, family histories] of their clans [tribes, families] and families [households, relatives], counting [numbering, enrolling] the names [identities, reputations] of all those twenty [a mature age, adulthood] years of age or older [above, more than twenty] who could serve [go forth, go out to battle] in the army [war, military campaign], word study 43 those registered [enrolled, counted] to the tribe [family] of Naphtali [a son of Jacob, founder of a tribe] numbered [were reckoned, totaled] 53,400. word study 44 These [specific individuals, the ones previously mentioned] were the men [individuals, Israelites] numbered [reckoned, counted] by Moses [the leader of the Israelites] and Aaron [the high priest], with the assistance [help, support] of the twelve leaders [chiefs, princes] of Israel [God’s chosen people], each one [every single person] representing [standing for, accountable for] his family [house, clan, a group of people related by blood or marriage]. word study 45 So all [every single one, the entire nation] the Israelites [sons of Israel, descendants of Jacob] twenty years [a period of maturity] of age or older [and upward, from that point on] who could serve [go out to war, be part of the army] in Israel’s [the nation of God’s people] army [host, military force] were counted [numbered, reckoned] according to their families [households, tribes]. word study 46 And all [every single one, everything] those counted [numbered, reckoned] totaled [amounted to, summed up] 603,550 [six hundred thousand and three thousand and five hundred and fifty, a large multitude]. word study 47 The Levites [descendants of Levi, a tribe set apart], however, were not [excluded from the count] numbered [reckoned, accounted for] along with them by the tribe [family lineage, ancestral group] of their fathers [ancestors, patriarchs]. word study 48 For the LORD [Yehovah, the covenant God] had said [spoken, commanded, or uttered] to Moses [the Israelite leader, God’s chosen servant]: word study 49 “Do not [by no means, utterly exclude] number the tribe [family group, descendants] of Levi [a son of Jacob, a brother of Reuben, Simeon, and Judah] in the census [official count, enrollment] with the other [remaining, non-Levite] Israelites [descendants of Jacob, God’s chosen people]. word study 50 Instead, you are to appoint [assign, designate] the Levites [descendants of Levi, the priestly tribe] over the tabernacle [the sacred tent, a portable place of worship] of the Testimony [the witness, the covenant], all its furnishings [utensils, equipment], and everything in it. They shall carry [bear, lift] the tabernacle and all its articles [vessels, utensils], care for [minister to, serve] it, and camp [encamp, pitch their tents] around [surrounding, encircling] it. word study 51 Whenever the tabernacle [the sacred dwelling place of God, the portable sanctuary] is to move [set out, journey forward], the Levites [descendants of Levi, the priestly tribe] are to take it down [dismantle, lower], and whenever it is to be pitched [set up, erected], the Levites [the Levitical priests] are to set it up [raise, assemble]. Any outsider who goes near [approaches, draws close to] it must be put to death [executed, slain]. word study 52 The Israelites [children of Israel, descendants of Jacob] are to camp [pitch their tents, set up their encampments] by their divisions [tribal divisions, according to their hosts], each man [individual, person] in his own camp [tent-circle, army] and under his own standard [flag, banner]. word study 53 But the Levites [descendants of Levi, set apart for God’s service] are to camp [pitch their tents, encamp] around [surrounding, encompassing] the tabernacle [the sacred tent, a dwelling place for God] of the Testimony [a witness to God’s laws and instructions] and watch over it [guard, protect, keep charge of], so that no [none, not any] wrath [anger, indignation, fierce rage] will fall [come, be poured out] on the congregation [gathering, assembly] of Israel [God’s chosen people, descendants of Jacob]. So the Levites [those set apart for God’s service] are responsible for [shall keep, guard] the tabernacle [the sacred tent, a dwelling place for God] of the Testimony [a witness to God’s laws and instructions].” word study 54 Thus [in this manner, accordingly] the Israelites [children of Israel, descendants of Jacob] did [made, performed] everything [all things, every matter] just as [exactly as, in accordance with] the LORD [Yehovah, the Lord God] had commanded [given orders to, appointed] Moses [the Israelite leader, God’s servant]. word study